In an era when human lives predominantly moved to the two dimensions of screens, a band with 184 Facebook likes called Young Bugs is not bound to cause much social media envy – which may actually be reassuring. Nonetheless, the Brooklyn trio, and their new video for single Spanish Knives II (streaming below) should be looked at as an example of why rock’n’roll can still be a lot of fun – hey, it’s not that complicated! Grab some cheap instruments, a mic, even a friend with a video camera if you have one, and try to make your own stuff happen, musically and visually; slowly get better at it, while having fun and maybe even "giving" some! Young Bugs just released their debut EP "Spanish Knives," you can listen to another song from it here.

There’s a delicate yet powerful force driving Dear Creek’s music, a Virginia-based band that fuses Indie folk, blues, jazz, and rock’s feel-good qualities into one sleek and melodious package. The compositional simplicity allows for X’s gentle vocals to soar over the vibrant guitar strums, creating a sense of sincerity and serenity that permeates each track. The languorous pace infuses each track with a subtle touch of melancholy, creating levels of textures in songs like “So It Goes” and “Hard to Breathe.” Though a pleasant listen for long car rides and languid summer afternoons their shows are infused with vigor and an energy not to be missed. Catch Dear Creek at DC Nine on July 19 and listen below. – Adriana S. Ballester

We enjoyed Ghost King‘s 2016 debut album "Bones" so much that we made it NYC Record of the Month back in April. The album sounds like a noteworthy recap of the (indie) guitar rock sound of the ’90s, with references to bands as disparate and glorious as Sonic Youth, the Violent Femmes, Pavement, The Pixies and Guided by Voices. The band will be performing at the Gateway on July 30th within a festival organized by a new blog focused on the Tri State Area Punk/DIY scene called Microscene. Check out their new video for under two minute single ‘Till You Belong to Me."

Read the Q&A with Ghos King about pedals and other guitar gear used in "Bones"

Folk may be an old, old genre, but that doesn’t mean everyone has given up on trying to innovate it. Take the latest project by Somerville band, Eternals for example.  On Isn’t That Any, the quartet intently root their music in the… rootiness of their lead singer’s voice and snare-heavy percussion typical of folk, but on each track they also mix in a different genre or influence seamlessly, giving the album a broad musical width while still maintaining a strong investment in folk. One intriguing moment in the record is when they segue directly from "See You," a song drenched in shoegaze, to the alt-folk pop jam "Bar Room Dancing." At other times they even bring in some synth textures – perhaps signifying the emergence of "synth folk" as a genre? In short, it’s always nice to see someone take the old traditional American music with open mind and heart, and Eternals have done just that on this latest LP.  You can check them out at Lilypad Inman on 7/22. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber

At first, Merrily James‘ music may strike listeners for the vulnerability the singer conveys to it.  However, upon a closer listen, the sexual metaphors introduced by the lyrics integrate that vulnerability with content that certainly adds an extra layer of intrigue and sensuality to the tracks. Her debut EP, Opia, produced by Tommy Eichmann (Alex Winston, Twin Wave) belongs squarely to the electro-soul-pop genre, yet it has a layer of rawness tinged with visceral, smooth vocals that separates it from the pack. In “Sticky Fingers” (streaming below) Merrily James sings, “I lick my sticky fingers/your sugar in my soul/I did everything I can/except to let you go,” exposing an endearing honesty and an anything-for-love attitude those "prudes" Hall and Oates would certainly disagree with. You can see Merrily James at Rough Trade on July 30th. – Madeleine Grossman

After nearly a decade in Brooklyn, prodigal son Bill Bartholomew is returning home to Rhode Island, together with his band silverteeth.  Alongside this relocation to Newport’s tiny but powerful music scene, they also released a self-titled EP, and it feels like the two may be correlated thematically. The project contains guitar-centric, no-nonsense alt-pop that opts for a tight, well-oiled sound. On the record, Bartholomew’s voice and guitar each drip with sentimentality, and stir the powerful emotions that occur when going through a major life event, such as a move back home. Silverteeth played a EP release show on July 8 at Aurora in Providence, which should the first of many New England shows to come. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber